John b



(No Model.)

J. B. GRAVES.

GAR COUPLING.

Patented Sept. 29, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. GRAVES, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOW'A.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,531, dated September 29, 1891. Application filed December 23, 1890- Serial No. 375,556. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. GRAVES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to produce a car-coupler capable of connecting automatically with one of its own kind and by means of a pin in the ordinary way with any drawhead in general use.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of a pair of couplers embodying my invention as in use. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device for uncoupling. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a link applicable to my coupler, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of a modified form of the same.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent the adjoining ends of two common freightcars having the usual dead-wood B B. To the cars are attached the draw-heads O O in the usual way. The draw-heads of the two cars are exactly alike, and a description of one of them will now be given. By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the draw-head is of the common type, in that it is adapted to connect with other draw-heads by means of a link. Internally it does not differ widely from those in common use, except in that it is provided with a cavity 0 in the upper part of the principal mouth to receive the coupling-dog D, particularly when in position for uncoupling, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. In the front part of this eavity is pivoted the head of the dog on a rockshaft (1, having a crank 61 outside the drawhead. To this shaft the dog is securely attached by means of a pin or key a. In the lower part of the mouth is a shoulder 0, against which rests the lower end of the dog when in looking position. It will be seen that the back side of the dog is curved toward the lower end andextends well back of a vertical line passing through the center of the pivot d. The object of this construction is to limit the backward throw of the dog in uncoupling and thus correspondingly limit the slack or space between the draw-heads when coupled.

Back of the dog a considerable distance isa pin F, which passes through a hole 6 in the rear end of the linkE and serves to permanently connect the link with the draw-head. As one of these links is attached to each draw-head, it will be evident that when two of them are coupled two links are used, the dog, in each draw-head connecting with the link in the other draw-head, and the effect is to doubly connect the draw-heads, so that in the event of one of the dogs for any reason giving way the other one still serves to hold the remaining link and prevent any accidental uncoupling of the cars. In coupling with the drawheads in common use the attached link is used instead of the loose one commonly employed.

In the construction of the link E it is desirable to make the portion that lies in the draw-head to which it is attached heavier than the part that extends beyond the end of the draw-head, so as to keep the link in a normal horizontal position to enable it to readily enter the mouth of the opposite draw-head. In Fig. 4 is shown a link suitable for this purpose. In thislink the portion containingthe hole 6 is made solid to give the requisite weight. Afurtherimprovement in the construction of the link is the use of a transverse bar 6 to truss the sides of the link and the better prevent the spreading and crushing of the same in case of accidental shock to the end thereof. This bar also serves as an additional protection against accidental uncoupling. It will be seen that the dog D passes through the hole 6. Now in the event that the shoulder 0 should be broken, the dog might be drawn forward and its forward hooked portion catch on the bar and by a simple leverage hold the parts in connection sufficiently to prevent se: rious accidents. To facilitate the entering of the link in the mouth of the other draw-head, its outer end should be rounded or tapered horizontally and also in vertical section. So constructed the links present to each other but a thin angle or edge, and there is no liability of their abutting squarely; but on meeting they pass each other readily and enter the mouths of the respective draw-heads. In so doing they carry the dog backwardly and upwardly, and when past it drops into coupling position by its own gravity.

The link shown in Fig. 5 is simply a common link contracted at E to form an eye 6 for the pin F.

For uncouplingI provide the end of the car with a rock-shaft G, having a hand-lever G at each end and near the sides of the car, and another lever G, which is connected with the crank cl by a suitable chain j". The action of the lever is shown in Fig. 1, the full outline showing the position of the parts when the cars are coupled and the dotted lines the position when uncoupled. In both positions the hand-lever is thrown past the center of gravity, so that it remains in either position when so placed, held in one position by the end of the car against which it leans and in the other by the chain j" and the connected crank-shaft and dog or the dead-wood, as indicated. To increase the weight of the hand-lever, it may be provided with a ball g. hen the lever is in the position indicated by the dotted lines, its weight serves to hold the dog in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the cars may be pushed about the yard in making up trains without coupling, as it is often necessary to do.

To admit of a connection with the couplingbar of a pilot or other device not adapted to enter the main mouth of the draw-head suiiiciently to engage with the dog, I provide the draw-head with a supplemental mouth C, and this with a pin H, which should be permanently connected with the car by a chain h. This also serves for connection with drawheads which are so extremely high as not readily to connect with the link E.

Since the links to be used in this coupler are necessarily much longer than those in common use from end to end, they are better adapted to enter the mouths of draw-heads higher or lower than those with which they are connected by being tilted up or down so much as may be required. In all ordinary cases, however, it is only necessary to keep the link horizontal and in line with the drawhead in order to couple automatically.

To look the hand-lever forward, so that the jar of the cars shall not throw it back and thus drop the dog, one of the boxes Z) may be provided with a shoulder 11' to engage with the back side of thelever by slipping the rockshaft endwise.

It will of course be understood that the cars can only be uncoupled by throwing both levers, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupler, the combination of the draw-head 0, having a shoulder a in the lower part of the mouth thereof, the dog D, pivoted in the upper part of the draw-head and with a lever (1 connected with or forming a part of its pivot cl, the link E, having the hole 6 through its inner end, the pin F, connecting the link permanently with the draw-head, and a hole 9 through the outer end of the link, through which the corresponding dog of another draw-head passes, and means, substantially as described, for raising the dog to uncouple.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of the herein-described draw-head having the dog D pivoted in the principal mouth thereof, a shoulder in said mouth to hold the lower end of the dog, and a supplemental mouth above said principal mouth with a pin therein, whereby the draw-head is adapted to couple to draw bars or links too short to admit the dog, and the link E, having the hole e at the inner end and a hole at the outer end to admit the dog, and the pin F, passing through the hole a and connecting it permanently with the draw-head.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of the dog D, pivot or axis d,having'crank (1, chain f, and the rock-shaft G, having lever G" and hand-lever G, the said shaft being mounted so that the hand-lever when thrown forward passes the center of gravity and serves to hold the dog in a position such as not to couple.

4.. In a car-coupler, the herein-described link having a solid portion for counterweight inside the draw-head and with a hole 6 therein for a connecting-pin, and an open outwardly-extending portion with one or more transverse bars connecting the sides and a pointed or tapered outer end to prevent two links from abutting each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. GRAVES. \Vitnesses:

W. BRAINERD, F. E. LAMB. 

